Stoke manager Tony Pulis is confident his side can reach the FA Cup semi-finals by defying the odds and beating Chelsea (1/4 to beat Stoke in the 90 minute betting) at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Potters head west London as the 9/1 underdogs to overcome the Blues in the cup despite having already beaten Manchester City and Arsenal on their way to the quarter-finals.

Pulis’ side (18/1 to win the FA Cup) have already upset the odds this season by dumping City out of the cup, securing a draw at Eastlands before winning 3-1 in extra time in the replay.

A similar result on Sunday would more than likely please the Stoke supporters as they look to inflict a second straight home defeat on Chelsea after their defeat to Man City last Saturday.

Pulis is already looking forward to another high-profile scalp as he believes the title of underdogs will suit his team.

“We go there as rank underdogs and no-one will give us a chance. It is going to be a tough game and we’ve played some tough games over the last couple of weeks,” said Pulis.

“But we’ll go down there, try to enjoy it and do the best we can because it is 38 years since this club was in an FA Cup quarter-final.

Don’t miss out on the FA Cup and Premier League action on Sunday at totesport.com.

Skipper Steven Gerrard has urged his Liverpool side (5/2 for the win) to build on the Merseyside derby win over Everton when they travel to Arsenal (10/11) on Wednesday night.

The Reds ended the Blues’ recent good run in the Premier League thanks to Dirk Kuyt’s only goal of the game on Saturday and they will now be looking for a repeat at the Emirates.

The Gunners’ own solid form has come undone in the last couple of weeks following losses to Manchester United and Chelsea, but Gerrard is refusing to get too carried away as he looks to hang on to at least fourth place in the table.

The England star told the Echo: “You always enjoy beating your local rivals but it was the way we did it that was really satisfying, particularly after losing a man after half an hour.

“Now we have got to take that high into the next game. It’s a tough one, Arsenal away always is.

“But we have used beating Everton as a platform in the past and we’ve got to do it again. We want to extend our run and go on to better things.”

Check out the rest of totesport.com’s midweek Premier League betting.

Chelsea (4/6 Half-Time/Full-Time) will still be without the Ivory Coast duo of Didier Drogba and Saloman Kalou at Burnley (8/1 to win) on Saturday evening despite their return from the African Cup of Nations.

The forward pair will not be considered until the trip to Hull next week as they re-integrate with their Stamford Bridge team-mates who surged back to the top of the Premier League table on Wednesday night.

Midfielder John Obi Mikel is still away in Angola with Nigeria, who will face Algeria in the third-place play-off, while Brazilian Juliano Belletti is still out with knee trouble as is Michael Essien.

The Clarets signed Celtic left-back Danny Fox on Friday but did not beat the deadline for the former Coventry man to be available for an instant debut.

Recently-appointed Turf Moor chief Brian Laws has doubts over Graham Alexander and Chris McCann while Steven Caldwell is out with groin trouble.

The Blues were 3-0 winners at Stamford Bridge back in August with the goals coming from Nicolas Anelka (10/3 First Goalscorer), Michael Ballack (8/1) and Ashley Cole (20/1).

Liverpool head to Stoke for Saturday lunchtime’s Premier League clash without three of their best players in the shape of Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun.

Injury was added to insult in midweek when Championship strugglers Reading dumped the Reds out of the FA Cup at Anfield, with Torres (knee), Gerrard (hamstring) and Benayoun (rib) all picking up significant problems.

The trio join full-back Glen Johnson and midfielder Javier Mascherano on the sidelines for the trip to the Britannia Stadium (Stoke 11/4, the draw 23/10, Liverpool 5/6).

New signing Maxi Rodriguez should at least make the bench providing he receives international clearance in time.

The Potters will give Tuncay a late fitness test on a hamstring problem while manager Tony Pulis will hope to be able to call on goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen after a finger injury.

Stoke on Friday pulled out of a loan swoop on Portsmouth for former Liverpool keeper David James after the deal missed Friday’s noon deadline to be available this weekend.

If Tuncay scores first in the match, Totesport will refund all losing first goalscoring bets! See terms and conditions.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits the Gunners will not be at full strength for the FA Cup trip to West Ham on Sunday as he aims to keep them in the Premier League title race.

The Frenchman will not totally disregard the FA Cup (Arsenal 6/1 Outright -Money Back Special) as he looks to bring silverware to the Emirates for the first time since 2005, but he has his eye on the title first and foremost.

Wenger said: “I will have to rest some players, that is for sure. We want to win, but we want to protect our home games against Bolton and Everton as well, to keep the momentum going.

“The Premier League is always more important [than the FA Cup], but, in the eyes of the fans, we are looking for trophies.”

Wenger has agreed a deal for 16-year-old Brazilian forward Wellington Silva who will cost £3.5m, according to the youngster’s agent.

Wellington will not move to the Emirates from Fluminense until he is 18 but he has been identified as a player for the future.

The player’s agent, Rodrigo Pitta, told the Daily Mail: “We completed the transaction last week, the player is already Arsenal’s and Fluminense have already received some money.”

Whether or not Wenger moves for a striker during the January transfer window who could slot straight into his first team remains to be seen.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits the Reds’ last-gasp win at Aston Villa will mean nothing unless they can back it up next month.

The Anfield outfit are now four points off fourth-placed Tottenham as they bid to fulfil boss Rafa Benitez’s prophecy of a top-four Premier League finish with the Merseysiders looking to return to the Champions League next season.

Liverpool needed an injury-time winner from Fernando Torres (11/4 Premier League Top Goalscorer) to beat Villa 1-0 at Villa Park on Tuesday night – and so gain revenge for the defeat at Anfield at the start of the campaign – but the game’s only goal had as much to do with the home side’s sloppy defending as anything else.

Nevertheless, Gerrard was delighted to see the side fight until the very last minute.

He told Sky Sports: “That’s what football’s about. You’ve got to keep going until the end and when you’ve got guys like (Torres) there’s always a chance.

“When he’s on form he’s the best in the world.”

Gerrard added: “It’s important to build on this. I’m sure we’ll gain a lot of confidence from this and there’s no excuses now. We’ve got to win games.”

Spanish boss Rafa Benitez revealed post-match that Torres is carrying an ankle problem in addition to his long-standing groin trouble which could see the Spain star rested for the FA Cup third-round tie at Reading (Liverpool 11/2 FA Cup Outright Winners).

Right-back Glen Johnson was forced off at Villa Park with a knee injury and is also a doubt for the clash with the Royals who are struggling for form in the Championship.

Liverpool’s star duo of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have joined forces to offer support to under-fire manager Rafa Benitez.

The Reds have endured a miserable season to date after crashing out of the Champions League into the Europa League (Liverpool 13/2 favourites) , while they are also well off the pace in the Premier League title race.

Spanish boss Benitez has already vowed to guide Liverpool into the top four  in order to return to the Champions League next season – and Gerrard and Torres reckon he should get the chance to finish the job.

Skipper Gerrard said: “Obviously the managers carry the can for the whole team because they’re the boss but we’re all responsible for what’s going on.

“We all need to step up. I don’t think it’s right to pick out individual players. We’re a team and we are responsible for where we’re lying in the league at the moment.”

Spain striker Torres feels sacking Benitez is not the answer to the side’s woes after a run of just three wins in 12 games in all competitions.

He added: “We have to play much better. The players are the people that have to find a solution to the situation.”

“It’s a difficult situation but every top team in the world goes sometimes through a bad situation like Liverpool now.

“Like every top team in the world, Liverpool will get over the situation.”

Liverpool (1/4 to win) entertain Wolves (8/1) at Anfield on Boxing Day.

Star striker Fernando Torres admits Liverpool must now fully focus on the Europa League (7/1 Outright) and FA Cup (11/2 Outright) as they bid to end the season with some silverware.

The Reds are out of the Champions League and marooned in seventh place in the Premier League – 12 points behind leaders Chelsea – and Torres knows they must re-focus to avoid ending the campaign empty-handed.

Liverpool will discover their Europa opponents in the last 32 next Friday although they will not be seeded, while Rafa Benitez’s men kick off the new year with a cup clash at Reading.

And Torres told Sky Sports: “This season is not the season we were expecting at the beginning of the season, but these things happen.

“We were thinking of trophies, first choice was the Champions League and the Premier League - we are out of the Champions League, and we are really far out from the Premier League, so we now change our targets.

“We have to think the Europa League and FA Cup are the two competitions we can win this season and obviously trying to stay in the top four.”

Torres looks set to start against Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday when the Reds entertain Arsene Wenger’s side in the league.

The former Atletico Madrid hitman scored twice in the fixture last season but Andrei Arshavin (13/2 First Goalscorer) stole the headlines with all of the Gunners’ goals in a 4-4 draw.

The
Premier League is really hotting up as we head towards the last half dozen or so fixtures and there’s plenty of betting interest in this week’s matches.

Fist off Liverpool look to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League as they take on Blackburn at Anfield. Despite the defeat on Wednesday, Liverpool have won their last four in the league in fine style and are unbeaten at home all season. Blackburn however are still flirting with the relegation zone and have not won at Anfield since an FA Cup tie there back in 2000. Rovers last match away from Ewood Park resulted in a 4-0 hammering at Arsenal and we see Saturday’s match as just a difficult chance. So do totesport as they go 1/4 the home team, 4/1 the draw and a massive 8/1 Blackburn. Totesport will be betting live in-running on this match.

Chelsea will have a spring in their step after their fine win at Anfield on Wednesday and will relish the opportunity to put away a Bolton side at Stamford Bridge who haven’t won away in the League since the end of November. Chelsea have taken fifteeen points from a possible eighteen in their last six games, with just that away defeat to Spurs blotting their recent copybook form. Chelsea are a 1/4 shot for this one with totesport, witht he draw and away win 4/1 and 8/1 respectively.

It’s a six-pointer at the Riverside as Boro take on Hull City on Saturday afternoon. Hull are seven points ahead of Middlesbrough but are three games without a win. Boro are in desperate trouble and anything but a win here will probably send them down in the long run. Boro are unbeaten in five at home but four of the games were draws, with goalscoring being the crux of the problem. Hull have been in free-fall since Christmas but have only lost five times on the road so they won’t be pushovers. Boro have been priced up evens favourites with totesport, Hull are a 10/3 shot and the draw is 9/4.

Pompey are still to secure their safety for another season but they’ve got a great chance to put three more points between them and the other strugglers on Saturday as they play West Brom at Fratton Park. Pompey are unbeaten in three and four points clear of the relegation zone. West Brom are a whopping eight points from safety now and with only one win to their name all season. A home win will pay 8/11 with totesport. The draw and an unlikely West Brom victory are 9/4 and 10/3 respectively.

Manchester United travel to the north-east to face a Sunderland side without a win in six matches. United have most definitely gone off the boil after escaping with an injury time winner against Villa last weekend and slipping to a 2-2 draw at home to Porto in Tuesday’s Champions League clash. They face going into the match in second place for the second weekend running with Liverpool kicking off early on Saturday and it’s just a question of whether the pressure is getting to them. It’s business as usual as far as the bookies are concerned though with totesport going 4/11 an away win. Sunderland are a 13/2 chance with the draw a juicy looking 3/1.

Spurs play West Ham in this London derby. Spurs are unbeaten at home since the end of November whilst West Ham are unbeaten in their last four matches. West Ham may consider Spurs to be one of their bogey sides though having only winning six of the last twenty-two meetings between the two teams. Spurs are an 8/11 chance to repeat the win they got at Upton park earlier in the season whilst West Ham are 10/3. The draw is 9/4.

Wigan play Arsenal at the JJB Stadium having only secured one win at home in their last four attempts. Arsenal on the other hand are in very good form, having not lost away in their last eight matches. Arsenal have also not lost to Wigan in the Premier League and are 4/6 to continue that run on Saturday with a win. If you fancy Wigan they’re a 7/2 chance with totesport and the draw is 12/5.

Probably the match of the weekend sees Stoke play Newcastle at the Brittania. It’s Stoke’s home form that’s keeping them in this position and a win here against a Newcastle side six points behind them in eighteenth could just see them do enough to secure another season int he top flight. It didn’t pan out the way Alan Shearer would have liked last week at home to Chelsea and it’s crisis time for the Geordies here. With only two away wins all season and six without a win the form doesn’t look good for Newcastle and they’re a 15/8 chance here. Stoke are 6/5 and the draw 11/5, all with totesport. Totesport will be betting live in-running on this match.

At the other end of the table Aston Villa play Everton at home. Villa are without a win in six matches, including four at home which means Everton are now just one point behind their rivals in sixth place. However, Everton have no win away from Goodison in five attempts and have only won win at Villa Park since 1997. Totesport make Villa 11/10 favourites for this one, with Everton a 2/1 chance and the draw 9/4. Totesport will be betting live in-running on this match.

Finally, Man City play Fulham at Eastlands. This should be easy to predict, with City unbeaten at home in 2009 and Fulham with only one win away all season, albeit their last match on the road. City are an 8/11 chance and Fulham 10/3. The draw is 9/4. Totesport will be betting live in-running on this match.

Check out totesport on Saturday morning’s for their enhanced Premier League Coupon from 9.30am for better prices.

Click here for all football betting

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It seems like an age ago that Manchester United capitulated at Craven Cottage and Liverpool spanked five past the Villa in what was probably one of the most exciting weekends of the Premier league season so far. But here we are again, after the snoozefest that is the ‘International break’ back with plenty of betting opportunities on the Premier League.

First off in the early kick-off is Blackburn against my beloved Spurs at Ewood park. Even the most ardent of Spurs fans will admit they’re easy to oppose on the road, even during this mini-revival that’s seen them jump right up the table and just three points behind seventh place. Blackburn though only have three wins to their name at home all season and are without a win in four matches. Spurs are actually three unbeaten on the road which must be some kind of club record. They’re also unbeaten at Ewood Park since 2003 so they could be worth backing at 6/4 with totesport. The draw probably looks the safest bet though at 11/5, with Blackburn also a 6/4 shot. Totesport will be betting live in-running on this match.

Arsenal look like a good thing at home to Manchester City in the first of the three o’clock kick-offs. Robin Van Persie’s inspired the Gunners to three straight wins and they’ve never lost to City at home in the Premier League. City have a woeful away record having not won away from Eastlands since beating Sunderland in only their third game of the season. Arsenal are a home banker here at 1/2 with totesport. The draw is 13/5 and an unlikely City win is priced up at 5/1.

Bolton play second bottom Middlesbrough at the Reebok knowing that a couple more wins will probably secure their safety for another season in the Premier League. Bolton haven’t won in three and lost at home last time out to Fulham, who, up until that point hadn’t won on the road all season. Boro have put together a dreadful run on the road having not won in nine straight games and now are in serious danger of being relegated. Bolton won the reverse fixture 3-1 earlier in the season and it’s difficult to not see them doing the double over Boro and winning here on Saturday. You can back Bolton at an attractive looking even money with totesport. Middlesbrough and the draw are both 9/4 shots.

Hull welcome Portsmouth to the KC Stadium on Saturday desperate to put a halt to their slip down the Premier League table. Phil Brown’s team only have three wins to their name at home all season and the last of those was against Boro at the beginning of December. Pompey on the other hand only have two wins away from Fratton park all season and their last win on the road was as far back as November against Sunderland. The teams drew 2-2 at Portsmouth last year and the draw looks a good bet here too at 11/5. You can alternatively jump off the fence and back either team at 6/4 with totesport.

All eyes will be on St James’s Park as Alan Shearer looks to help Newcastle revive their season and avoid relegation. It’s a tough fixture first up though against a Chelsea team who’ll be still kicking themselves for slipping up at Spurs a fortnight ago. Form obviously points towards Chelsea, who also haven’t lost in their last three visits to the North East. However, the atmosphere will be rocking for this one and paired with the arrival of Shearer it could just be deciding factor towards an unlikely win. Newcastle can be backed at a big 9/2, opposed to Chelsea’s 8/15 with totesport. The draw is 5/2.

It’s a relegation battle at the Hawthornes as West Brom take on Stoke in this six-pointer. West Brom haven’t won in four at home and they’re desperate for points to cling on to any kind of hope of Premier league survival. They could well oblige here though as Stoke haven’t won a single away game in the league all season. The betting suggests the home team will prevail as they’re an evens shot opposed to the 9/4 about Stoke’s chances. The draw is also 9/4.

Sunderland are not out of the woods yet and take a winless run of five games down to Upton park to face a West Ham who’ve drawn their last two games, including a disappointing scoreless draw at home to West Brom. West ham will be without their top scorer Carlton Cole for this one but Sunderland are without a win away from the Stadium of Light since December and it’s difficult to picture them springing a surprise here. The betting sides with the hammers but there might actually be some value backing them at what looks like chunky 10/11. Sunderland are 5/2 and the draw is 9/4, both with totesport.

In the evening kick-off, Fulham will look to repeat the damage they inflicted on Manchester United a fortnight earlier to Liverpool at Craven Cottage. Fulham have only lost three games at home all season and have beaten United and Arsenal along the way, plus a good 2-2 draw with Chelsea to boot. Liverpool will certainly hold no fear for Roy Hodgson’s men and it’ll be interesting to see if the Reds have banished their away defeat to Middlesbrough three matches ago. Impressive displays since then against Madrid, United and Villa last time out should mean they can get the three points to put them top of the league on Saturday night. Liverpool are an 8/13 shot here with Fulham and the draw 4/1 and 12/5 respectively with totesport. Totesport will be betting live in-running on this match.

On Sunday, Everton face Wigan in a game postponed a day due to the running of the Grand National in Liverpool on Saturday afternoon. Everton slumped to a 2-1 defeat away at Pompey last time out but have three wins on the bounce to their name at Goodison Park. Wigan on the other hand had their first win in five away in thei last trip on the road up at Sunderland and won’t be pushovers. Everton look a little skinny at 8/11 with Wigan a 10/3 chance. The draw looks the best bet to me at 9/4.

Finally, Manchester United play Villa on Sunday afternoon at Old Trafford and could well find themselves knocked off the perch at the summit of the Premier League. United have lost their last two games after an eleven match winning streak but have an impressive record over their opponents having gone 23 matches unbeaten in all competition versus Villa. Villa have no win in five now and I can’t see where the next one is going to come from so it’s a no-brainer backing United here at 4/11. Villa are a 13/2 chance with the draw 3/1. Totesport will be betting live in-running on this match.

Check out totesport on Saturday morning’s for their enhanced Premier League Coupon from 9.30am for better prices.